In looking at MCR's life, one gets a perspective of an extremely diverse and interesting life. Raised by a British/Orthodox Jewish Mother and a Sicilian father on the Lower East Side of NYC (Rivington & Attorney Streets, to be exact), Michael's life was anything but normal.

From chucking watermelons off a horse-drawn carriage at an early age for a nickel to make some pocket change, to being drawn into his uncle's extremely prominent cruise ship photographic business, set some sort of precedent and foundation of what was about to come,

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After the great Oscar-winning Olivia D. Havilland befriended Michael on one of his travels, she persuaded Sanford Meisner (one of the greatest acting teachers of all time, teaching the likes of Gregory Peck, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, and many more from his Neighborhood Playhouse perch on East 52nd Street in NYC) to give Michael an interview, and so he did.

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Landing his first agent in the early seventies with the Beverly Hecht Agency on Sunset, Michael's acting journey had begun. Call it happenstance or just plain luck, Michael Cambden Richards was on his way to landing his first 18-month contract with Spelling Productions as a character actor on a weekly episodic Six-Million Dollar Man with Lee Majors; Bionic Woman w/Lindsey Wagner and Vegas with Bobby Urich).

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It was "A dream come true"--but not so fast.

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After the shows in the late 70's came to an end and were put on hiatus, Michael was able to find some bit and soap acting work but it was not enough to keep "his demons" at bay inside of him. He longed for his home in New York City, and picked up an agent there as well as a manager. He again started auditioning and acting once more, including on "Guiding Light' with Taye Diggs, "Matlock," some movie roles, as well as a couple of national commercials.

 

In the early 90' s Michael was offered to take over a floundering 501(c)3 not-for-profit, off-Broadway theatre company, the New American Stage Company (NASCO), located at the St. Peters Theatre Co. on East 54th, where he succeeded as the Artistic Director for over a dozen years bringing "true theater" back to life in the city that he loved,

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Michael is "back in the saddle" again, seeking new representation as an actor as well as pushing his first full-length  film, "Falling Up."